Less is more
There’s something fulfilling about digging in deep with smaller toolkits. Just Type allows for a wide range of styles and intentions – from sprawling modulation to straightforward composition.
The commands and examples covered in this series are simplified starting points, begging to be chained together toward complex goals. Interacting with Just Type through both hardware and software will open even more doors, but much can be explored through coding alone.
Just. Type.
Example: COUPLING
Featured in the banner video above.
Two modules: Teletype and Just Friends. JF is in Synthesis mode, sound / cycle. MIX out, gentle reverb applied.
In I: JF.SHIFT assigns the tonal starting point to G2 and a DRUNK walk’s bounds are placed at -1 and 1, with wrapping.
In M: three variables are randomly assigned (X, Y and Z). Every five metro ticks, channel X is voiced at velocity Y and remains at that volume until re-assigned. Z provides software modulation to the RUN jack.
In Synthesis, RUN sets the frequency relationship between the modulation & carrier oscillators for FM. The shifts between V -1250 and V 1 uncover a melody. Depending on what year you’re reading this during, your results may vary – try different values while tweaking the FM knob to find a modern sweet spot. The core idea remains: sequencing the relationship between the carrier and modulator.
The numbered scripts are just chord shapes and performative changes.
#1
JF.VOX 1 N -5 V 5
JF.VOX 2 N 0 V 5
JF.VOX 3 N 7 V 5
JF.VOX 4 N 12 V 5
JF.VOX 5 N 16 V 5
JF.VOX 6 N 19 V 5
#2
JF.VOX 1 N 4 V 5
JF.VOX 2 N 9 V 5
JF.VOX 3 N 16 V 5
#3
JF.VOX 1 N 2 V 5
JF.VOX 2 N 5 V 5
JF.VOX 3 N 14 V 5
JF.VOX 6 N 24 V 5
#4
JF.VOX 1 N 2 V 0
JF.VOX 2 N 5 V 0
JF.VOX 3 N 28 V 3
#5
EVERY 2: JF.SHIFT N -5
OTHER: JF.SHIFT N 7
#6
JF.VOX 3 N 17 V 5
#7
#8
#M
X RAND 6; Y RRAND 3 6
Z DRUNK
EVERY 5: JF.VTR X V Y
IF EQ Z -1: JF.RUN VV -1250
IF EQ Z 0: JF.RUN VV 0
IF EQ Z 1: JF.RUN V 1
#I
JF.MODE 1
JF.RMODE 1
JF.SHIFT N -5
DRUNK.MIN -1; DRUNK.MAX 1
DRUNK.WRAP 1
M 190
Reference
Before we part, it might be helpful to provide a quick overview of all commands covered…
Glossary
| OP | Description | nb |
|---|---|---|
JF.TR x y | set channel x (1-6, 0 all) to state y (1/0) | |
JF.VTR x y | trigger channel x (1-6, 0 all) with velocity y | y expects V 1-V 10, mute with V 0 |
JF.RMODE x | non-zero x activates RUN mode, 0 deactivates | |
JF.RUN x | apply x volts to RUN | y expects V -5 to V 5. requires JF.RMODE 1 |
JF.SHIFT x | shift the base rate (TIME) by x volts/semitones | |
JF.TUNE x y z | adjust the tuning ratio y:z of channel x (1-6). | recall defaults with JF.TUNE 0 0 0, save custom ratios across power cycles with JF.TUNE -1 0 0 |
JF.MODE x | non-zero x activates Synthesis / Geode, 0 deactivates | |
JF.GOD x | redefines C3; 0: A=440Hz, 1: A=432Hz | requires JF.MODE 1 |
JF.VOX x y z | channel x (1-6, 0 all) receives note y at velocity z volts. | requires JF.MODE 1 |
JF.NOTE x y | polyphonically-allocated channel receives note x at y volts. | requires JF.MODE 1 |
JF.TICK x | set x bpm (49-255), tap-tempo (1-48) or reset (0). | requires JF.MODE 1, Geode |
JF.QT x | quantize events 1-bar/x (1-32), 0 deactivates. | requires JF.MODE 1, Geode |
Just Type Studies
Part 6: Collaboration
Credits
This study was created by Dan Derks.